Many mystery fans probably share my unhappy experience: By a few chapters into a mystery novel, I'm bored. The main culprits are cliché characters and cliché plot devices. Here are some of the cliché characters that I would like to see mystery writers kill off for good. First on my list is the sardonic, hard-boiled detective who drowns his or her problems in alcohol but still shines at sleuthing. Authors, if you think excess alcohol consumption is de rigueur to show the inner pain of the hero/heroine, don't forget to show how that alcoholism also undermines clear thinking as well as romantic performance. Next on my list is the omniscient Sherlock Holmes-type who lacks people skills but is endearingly quirky as he/she outwits criminal masterminds. Really, these characters are both too fey and too infallible to operate believably in the real world. Finally, there's the tough, cool sleuth who has a secret soft and sexy side just waiting to be awakened (once you can get past the old personal trauma or "daddy issues" or injustice that's hardened his or her shell). I think these protagonists are created simply to justify sex scenes and often borrow from romance novels: sexy bad boy, noble warrior, damsel in (secret) distress. When it comes to villains, No. 1 on my list of overused devices is the insane serial killer genius. These people are driven by bizarre motives and macabre urges but somehow remain mentally astute enough to engage in elaborate plots, ruses and false personas. These characters proliferate in novels because they commit difficult-to-solve crimes (plus crimes that are especially gruesome), but the insane-killer ploy comes at the expense of emotional connection and intellectually satisfying mystery-solving for me. Another trite character that I could do without is the proud and dominating matriarch or patriarch who will do anything to protect the family honor or family secrets. As soon as these characters appear, you know they are guilty -- if not of murder then of driving someone else to commit murder. For more clichés that can kill good mystery writing, check out the Booklist article on "Criminal Clichés" at http://www.booklistonline.com/ProductInfo.aspx?pid=6162402
No comments:
Post a Comment